Equilibrium
by Binky1987
Summary: "No," she breathed, her eyes lidded, looking up at him angrily and was now recoiling from the pain that was now in her cheek. "It's you who have misunderstood. If he comes, you will be the one that will die. You of all people should know; he doesn't like it when people take his things." Shirayuki x Obi
1. Chapter 1

**Equilibrium**

 **Chapter 1**

 _Her face contorts in pain as she pulls back wet strands of her apple red hair from her eyes. A wave of pain comes again and she tries to hide her face, noticing the person looming above her was watching quite intently. She adjusts her black choker which stood out and was starting to rub against her delicate, creamy skin._

 _Finally she looks up, horrified at what this person had done to her._

 _"Why are you doing this?" she finally gasps, looking at her attacker._

 _Droplets of water run from her long red hair and fall to the ground as she unceremoniously pushes up from the ground so that she is kneeling.  
_

 _She begins to then get herself onto her feet when he lunges over and grabs a bunch of her night gown material in his hand. He pauses for a moment, admiring her choker with a diamond on the front. The glint in his eye made her feel wary when suddenly he brings up his toned arm, hovers it above the other side of her face and back hands her across the cheek, hard._

 _She falls to the ground with a scream of pain, squirming and shaking. She lifts her head up, barely and through the gaps between her wet, matted fringe, can see her attacker._

 _For the first time in her life, she is starting to dislike a person enough to become violent - but only to get away and in self defense._

 _The man in front of her laughs callously at how weak she was._

 _"I'll tell you why. Let me tell you a story of a boy..."_

 _After the story was told, she could tell it was about **him**. It all was. _

_"But don't worry, there's more. He stopped for too long in a place he thought was untouchable. It was against everything he knew and was taught but he did it because...he fell in love with a woman he couldn't have."_

 _Shirayuki looked up at the man with terror on her face. How did he know?_

 _"That's why you're here, Yuki. You have the face and the body of a beautiful red haired angel but you creep into men's hearts and bring them nothing but pain. When he gets here - if he comes - you will cause him pain because you'll be dead, do you understand now what you've stumbled into?"_

 _"No," she breathed, her eyes lidded, looking up at him angrily and was now recoiling from the pain that was now in her cheek. "It's you who have misunderstood. **If** he comes, you will be the one that will die. You of all people should know; he doesn't like it when people take his things."_

* * *

Obi yawned.

"Am I keeping you awake, sir?" said Shirayuki jokingly as she picked one of the last herbs for the day.

Obi laughed. "You are, but only _you_ could be the one to keep me awake, Miss," he said with a smile.

And there it was, that smile. It was odd that she never saw him give that genuine smile to anyone else and for some reason it bothered her and she didn't know why.

Six months ago, she was told by Zen that because his brother was now the King, Zen would have a lot more responsibility. As well as finding a suitable bride. He had tried to convince Izana to allow Shirayuki to be his bride (he had tried for years) but he could never convince him, despite the fact that Izana had previously hinted he would try to accept her.

Finally, Izana got his wish because one day, Zen realised just how far apart they were and how foolish and selfish it would be to thrust Shirayuki into his world.

She always told him that she would work hard to be by his side, but at what cost? And she wasn't wrong, she did work to be more than a commoner but in the end, he finally saw the gap between them and what the people really needed. Feelings be damned. He wasn't a teen anymore and he could see the harsh reality.

It was a fairy tale to believe in love in the Royal Family because it was rarely possible.

The day Zen told her, she was an absolute wreck. It took Obi hours of holding her, caressing her hair and finally allowing her to cry herself to sleep for her to finally be at peace for the night.

And that same night, he had come to see Zen.

 _He looked at Obi and the guilt inside him began to flourish. Obi looked at him so menacingly but he held himself respectfully, well, until he opened his mouth._

 _"Master," Obi drawled from the windowsill where he was sitting. His knees were bent with his arm resting over one of them._

 _Zen looked up to see Obi get up from his position and walk toward him until they were but a meter apart._

 _"I'm guessing you know-"_

 _"Damn right I do, Master. Why-how could you do that to Mistress?!" Obi exclaimed incredulously. "She was devoted to you, loved you and did what you asked of her. She doesn't deserve this."_

 _"Don't you think I know that?! I still love her but I **have** to do this for the Kingdom. There are too many things going on between my brother being King to my duties and also some powerful criminal group is spreading throughout the Kingdom."_

 _Obi clenched his jaw. "So Shirayuki doesn't matter?"_

 _Zen's eyes widened slightly. It was rare for Obi to speak her name, in fact, he didn't think he'd ever heard Obi say it before. Even when Obi confessed his love for her, he still called her "mistress"._

 _Zen smiled but there was no humor behind it. "You know, I wasn't blind."_

 _Obi opened his mouth and was about to berate Zen again but stopped at his words. He knew what they meant._

 _"You two are so close and you can't tell me its platonic, after all, you did confess that you love her, do you remember?" said Zen quietly, jealousy caked his voice thickly._

 _Obi's expression turned undecipherable. "Didn't you trust her?"  
_

 _The prince scoffed. "I trusted both of you but the feeling was always there. You know, back in Tanbarun, Raj's sister asked if you two felt anything for each other and you didn't make a comment. Makes me really wonder what really went on there."_

 _Zen clenched his fists for a second before releasing them calmly. He lifted his head to the ceiling, let out a long breath and then turned to look at Obi who quietly assessed Zen. He figured he was trying to work out what Zen was getting at._

 _"Don't worry, only my incompetence happened during that trip Master, nothing more," said Obi darkly, hating his actions back then so much._

 _He often thought of how he could have done things better but every time his thoughts went to that trip years ago, he remembered why it was worth it.  
_

 _Images of red hair swaying in the wind flashed through his mind, her delicate slender arms grabbing his own as she was about to fall. The way she would walk through the gardens and her green orbs would look over to him and smile...the beautiful dresses she wore which fit her perfect, slender body..._

 _And then his mind was going **elsewhere**. _

_"Well now you have your chance Obi. I can't be with Shirayuki anymore, I hate to say this because I should have always been the one to comfort her, but you need to be there for her like you've always been. I know that you always notice her and watch her every move. I'm ordering you to continue to do that."_

 _Obi shook his head as he began to walk toward the doors, leading out of his office. "Tch. I don't need to be ordered," he said quietly as he ran out._

"I'm done, lets go home," she smiled up at him, clutching her satchel to her chest.

Obi nodded, jumping down from the nearby tree, landing right next to Shirayuki. The truth was, even though it looked like his eyes were closed, he was just watching her. He'd watched her the whole day, which by the way, was his favourite pass time.

He pulled her slender body up onto the horse and as she got comfy against him at the front, he couldn't help his treacherous feelings come into play. The way her body felt against his, like she fit like a glove.

Who was he kidding?

* * *

When they got back to the palace the guards were in a frenzy.

"...the Order again," he heard one of the guards say ahead.

Obi brought the horse to a trot as his keen senses picked up more bits of information. Apparently there had been more disappearances reported today. Something bothered him about this criminal group that was spreading like wildfire. It felt all too...familiar.

He looked down at the red haired sleeping beauty who rested her head back against his chest and the only reason she hadn't fallen off the horse was because he had wrapped an arm around her stomach during the ride.

She was so trusting and he swore it would be her downfall if he weren't there to protect her.

As soon as he carried Shirayuki to the sleeping room near her work station, as well as the supplies she had gathered (trust me it was a skill - he should have been an acrobat or something) he was summoned to see Zen and was also ordered to bring Shirayuki.

She awoke in his arms but she knew it was Obi carrying her, she could smell him and it made her feel safe. Shirayuki snaked her arm around the back of his neck and brought her other arm up to sit on his shoulder and immediately, amber eyes were upon her sleepy form.

"Miss, we've been summoned," he said quietly, almost guiltily as he continued to carry her through the castle entrance. He nodded to the guards as they allowed them to proceed.

It was then that she began to fully awaken and quite suddenly. "B-By who?"

"By Master."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

This was not the evening she had planned. She had planned to have a nice quiet dinner with Obi and then they would talk about stupid things and he would make her laugh and she would say something silly and he would just smile at her and make her feel giddy...no...that's not the right word, is it?

 _No...it was the right word,_ she thought guiltily. Things were starting to happen in her heart of late which were _not_ caused by Zen but she hadn't really had a chance to think properly about it yet.

She was a little sad at seeing Zen after so long but that pain had ended a while ago. He had given her time away from him and she appreciated that.

But what he was asking...she had an obligation to volunteer, why couldn't Obi understand?

They had been arguing back and forth. Obi was starting to raise his voice now. Mitsuhide was trying to calm Zen and Kiki was trying to keep Obi from breaking the Prince's nose because she could see that's where this 'conversation' was heading.

" _I'll_ do it," she said serenely.

Obi snapped his head toward her with his eyes widened. He walks over to her quickly, angrily if she had to pick an emotion, and grabs her shoulders. He looks down into her eyes, incredulous.

"I-I have to do this Obi, if not me, then Ryu? He doesn't deserve that and plus it has to be a woman and Garrick is away at the moment," she tried to explain but Obi had that dark look again.

He had exerted so much energy into his arguments and so swiftly left without another word before he did something he regretted.

"Obi!" she exclaimed, but he was already gone.

Zen looked at Shirayuki as well, thinking about whether he was making the right decision.

"You will have to leave in two days," he said softly, watching her from the side but her eyes hadn't left the door where Obi had left from.

* * *

"Obi," she said as she walked into his room.

The room was silent, but he was lying on his bed, awake. For a moment before she spoke again she took in his form.

He was quite tall, if she thought about it. Lean, nimble and deadly to be precise and often wondered if his height hindered his abilities, but seeing him in action, she knew the answer was 'no'.

But as he lay there, staring at the ceiling of his bed with his eyes open she could see the real side of him.

The side he rarely showed others. It was always jokes and snide remarks to get the pot stirring going but when he was with her, it just seemed like they shared just about everything and right now, he was dejected, almost hurt - she could see it in his eyes.

She walked slowly over to the bed, slipped her shoes off and swung her legs up onto the bed. She rolled over and laid her head in the crook of his shoulder and placed her hand on his chest.

They weren't always touching like this but when it called for it, she would initiate a hug or touch here and there to reassure him, depending on the situation.

Obi automatically lifted his arm up to rest on her upper waist from behind her back, pulling her slightly closer to him. She didn't know how they got to this point, if she thought about it, they probably looked intimate and in actual fact, people had commented to her in Lyrias about it.

It was always Obi who said straight away with his hands in the air as if surrendering _"Oh no, Master would kill me."_

But when they asked her she would say _"Oh, well, we're just like that."_

She didn't actually know why she said that because it didn't accept or deny any allegations at all. In fact, it probably made them wonder even more.

"Obi, don't be mad," she whispered, against his chest, causing his body to stiffen slightly. "Zen said it will probably only be a week and-"

Obi scoffed loudly and pulled away from her, now sitting at the edge with his legs on the ground. He looked at the window.

"Miss, you don't understand what this criminal group does and you've never done something like this," he says, his eyebrows knitted angrily. "Its usually _me_."

He wanted to also say _"I won't let you"_ but how could he? Shirayuki was his Mistress and he was but a humble servant, really. Zen's servant.

"Tell me Obi, why do you care so much?" she asked suddenly, wondering why all of a sudden he was so mad.

She knew he was her friend and that he cared from that respect, but to the point of almost throttling the Prince?

Obi remained silent.

"I'm just going to be doing herbalist work-"

"You don't know that. You don't know what people are capable of; _I_ do," he said stiffly.

Deep down he knew that no amount of words would deter Shirayuki from doing this because she wanted to keep Ryu safe. But what about her?

And Zen had purposely gone out of his way to say that he wasn't allowed to come. _Of course_ he knew why.

How would she go undercover with her bodyguard with her all the time?

The thing was, he loved her too much. So, so much. It hurt.

It had all started out as simple admiration, or so he thought, but as he thought back to the beginning, it was probably something more akin to love at first sight. Maybe not the very first sight but just after he shot the arrow. She had him intrigued at that point.

But when she had collapsed at Fort Laxdo and he asked why she was thanking him, she had told him that he had saved her from falling and that there was no way she wouldn't be thankful for that.

She had smiled at him like he mattered, like he was useful and wanted. Her smile is what made him fall for her. Not her beauty or her beautiful red apple hair, no, that was the obvious physical attraction. It was her kindness and the ability see the good in everyone that really drew him to her in the first place.

And then everything else he learned about her made him fall harder and harder as time went on. It was really tragic...and weak, he knew that but he couldn't stop.

Shirayuki climbed over the bed and sat next to him. She leaned her arm against his and looked out the window she leaned the side of her head against him.

"Obi, I bet you'll be glad for the peace anyway. You always say its annoying what with the carrying of bags and various herbs and the trips to get them all the time," she laughed, trying to get him back in a more playful mood.

He wasn't having a bar of it tonight.

"I jokingly complain, I don't actually dislike it."

Shirayuki sighed. "I go in two days, can you just...can you please just pretend that you aren't angry for the next two days?"

Obi took his usual hat off that he had turned up with back when they had first met and laid them both back into the mattress. They laid there, their heads touching as they both looked up at the ceiling.

Shirayuki wrapped her hand into his and he didn't recoil from it like he sometimes did.

"My job is to protect you, Miss. How can I protect you when you're...there," he said quietly.

He sighed as their hands locked with one another; their fingers intertwined now.

"Well, I guess you can't, but Obi...I'm not with Zen anymore, I haven't been for half a year. I'm not that girl anymore I'm just-just a commoner like anyone else. You don't have to be by my side and protect me anymore, if you don't-"

"But I do want to, Miss. I _do_ ," he whispered the last part softly.

Shirayuki's eyes widened and she turned her head to face him but as usual, his face was unreadable. If she was true to herself, she knew that when he said things like that, it made her stomach get butterflies. She put it down to a selfish desire to be protected but she was starting to feel like it was more than that.

After all, she spent so much time with him now and she couldn't help but feel attached to Obi in more than a platonic way. She knew this feeling...she knew it all too well.

 _Oh god._

"Obi, I-"

"One condition," he said with a huff as he turned to face her with amber eyes full of determination.

Shirayuki's thoughts were put on hold as she now wondered what that condition was.

"You learn some basic self defense."

* * *

"Miss," she heard a voice.

"Miss, you stayed over," said his voice with a sigh.

Shirayuki smiled, however, she thought he was standing behind her but he was actually in front of her. His eyes watched as her lips had twitched upward in almost a loving smile.

For him? No, she was probably thinking of someone else.

"But your bed is much more comfortable, Obi," she said, her smile not leaving her face.

Obi bent down and placed his palm on her head, causing her green eyes to look up into his amber ones. She found his eyes to be so intense sometimes when she woke up next to him (the rare times she had, that is) but this morning, he was looking at her as if he was trying to work something out.

"You promised me something, Miss, last night...do you remember?" he said softly. "So you should go and get changed appropriately."

Shirayuki groaned and turned over. "Sleep...sleep."

His lips turned upward into a half grin and he slid the sheets off her, like he did most mornings to wake her up but his eyes widened and his cheeks began to redden very quickly.

Her night dress had slid up above her belly, it seemed, and he could see everything from her creamy, slender legs to her underwear (which seemed more adult like than he imagined since they had lace on them). They cupped her bottom tightly so he could see all the curvature and left nothing to the imagination.

Despite how gentlemanly he usually was, this was pushing his limit.

"You-you have to get up Miss," he said finally, turning away with a red tint to his cheeks.

He walked over to the window, placed his palms on the window sill and leaned over, clenching his eyes closed. Slowly his thoughts became 'righted' and found that she had gotten up.

"I'll just need to go home first," Shirayuki smiled and stretched her arms above her as she walked out the door.

Obi got up from his position at the window and watched her silhouette move out of his eye sight.

"Tch. What a woman."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

" _Miss,_ can you focus please?" whined Obi.

They were outside in the forest near the palace where the soldiers practice drills and train and Shirayuki preferred it here anyway so people couldn't see her look like an utter fool.

Obi's eyes told her he wasn't pleased at her smile. He looked at her up and down while she adjusted her stance, so she wasn't looking at his face. She had gotten changed into an outfit Kiki had let her borrow and they must be the same size because it fits her perfectly, if not slightly tighter in the chest (not that he was looking).

"Come on Obi, I won't get to see you for a while, can't we at least have some fun?" she said with a pout.

He shook his head. "If you don't learn this, you're not going-ah I mean, Miss, it was one of the conditions, remember?"

Shirayuki pursed her lips and then finally sighed and nodded.

"I want you to try and hit me," he said, deadpanned and serious now, as if she were an opponent. "Come on, I've shown you the basics on how to punch."

She was timid though and didn't have a violent nature so how was she supposed to do this?

Shirayuki hesitantly ran forward and instead of punching, went to slap him, which he blocked easily.

"Really, Miss? A slap ain't gonna do nothing," he said as he released her hand softly.

The red head sheepishly smiled up at him.

The day was near its end with the sun beginning to fall.

"Alright, you're getting better Miss. So how about we pretend I'm your attacker," he pronounced as he walked over to her, wrapping his arm from behind her and around her upper chest, above her breasts.

Shirayuki's eyes widened at the sudden grasp around her body and her cheeks became flushed. But, he was right, she should at least learn some basic moves.

So she did as he taught her. She slammed her foot down, hard, onto his shoe which caused him to grunt then thrusted her elbow backwards, hitting his jaw square on. This caused Obi to release his hold somewhat and so she used this opportunity to push the arm that was around her body up and twisted underneath it and pushed it up behind his back and successfully into the hold he had demonstrated earlier.

She began to release the hold when he suddenly turned and grabbed her from the front.

"Don't let your guard down, Miss. What are you gonna do now?" he said, a playful glint in his eye now.

Obi grabbed her wrists and was about to pull her in further but she remembered something.

 _If you think you can't successfully get away clean, you have to use any means necessary. Use you weight, even though you're light, the sudden weight on someone's body all of a sudden will catch them off guard._

Shirayuki looked up at him determined before she yanked slightly back, but his hold remained strong and then used her body weight to jump up on top of him. Her hands gripped his shoulders hard, causing him to fall backwards to the ground.

She was on top of him now, her legs either side his body, straddling him and somehow had managed to swipe one of his knives from his pocket and held it to his chest. Although the way she held it with both hands clearly showed her lack of knowledge on how to actually slice or stab someone.

Shirayuki smiled. "This has earned us a day of fun tomorrow, right?"

Obi couldn't breath and not because she was heavy. Was she really straddling him right now? He wasn't even threatened by the knife to his chest, although, he couldn't believe she had managed to swipe it from his side pouch before he could grab it back.

He could feel the blood rush down to his groin but before she could feel it, he lifted her to the side and they sat up, both sitting on the ground facing each other.

"Maybe, Miss. But we should really practice-" when suddenly she was on top of him again, straddling him as she had before.

Their faces were so close now as he was leaning backwards, his arms holding him up from behind on the grass, and she brought her hands up to cup his cheeks.

"No, Obi please, lets just have fun. I'll ask Ryu and some of the others to come too, if they can," she smiled but as she realised her position, her eyes widened and her cheeks became almost as red as her hair.

She was off him in seconds as she sat cross legged beside him and he awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, looking up at the sky which was quickly losing light.

"S-sorry Obi, I d-didn't realise what I was d-doing," she said, laughing awkward. "We, um, we should get back anyway."

Obi began to get up and watched as she walked toward the path back to the palace. He noticed just how long her hair was now as she undid her ribbon from it, allowing it all to cascade down beautifully. It reached her lower back now. Just how was she supposed to protect herself?

Every man would want to touch her hair, if not just because of her apple red hair, but also her beauty which she _obviously_ wasn't aware of.

He came out of his reverie as he heard her voice call for him. He jogged to catch up.

They walked in silence for a while.

Thoughts of earlier and her feelings lately kept popping into her head. Should she tell him? Should she wait till she got back?

Shirayuki was so nervous and her face was hot again with embarrassment, she didn't know what to do. The fact was, he probably didn't feel that way and she would end up embarrassing herself. Heck, she didn't know if it was just because he was familiar or whether she was starting to fall for him.

No. It can wait.

* * *

She waved as she rode the horse - a skill Obi had also taught her - toward her destination. She thought back to how much fun they had yesterday and how lucky she was to have friends that she cherished.

Shirayuki looked back but he was no longer there. She had to focus now, her herb satchel was fastened to her horse but she wondered what was in store for her. Zen had given her a map and explained that he had Mitsuhide send an anonymous message on her behalf of her taking the herbalist job with The Order.

So they knew she was coming. She was to undertake the duties of a herbalist at this place but at the same time, try to uncover why they needed herbalists and also, who the leaders were, how many people were under their command and how they recruited their men.

And also, what the women were for that were being taken.

 _"I know its a lot to work out but if you're undercover, you'll discover a lot in this time. If its dangerous or you are fearful, send word with your bell. They won't know what its for, you can just say its a necklace you bought somewhere and we'll get you out," explained Zen. "The truth is, we haven't been able to so much as find out one name of that organisation. They all use pseudonyms. So its up to you, this is the best plan we've had."_

 _Shirayuki nodded. She looked over at Obi who didn't voice any input, in fact, usually he would be mucking around or talking animatedly with Mitsuhide or flirting with Kiki to try and get a rise out of Mitsuhide._

 _But today, the day of her departure, she was anything but joyful. He hadn't said one word yet and wouldn't look in her eye, either._

 _As she got the horse from the stable, she heard his voice._

 _"Miss," he said quietly._

 _She turned and smiled. "Oh, you are going to talk to me then," she laughed but he didn't laugh back._

 _His eyes looked forlorn but as usual she couldn't tell what he was thinking._

 _"You have to be more aware of your surroundings, Miss. I won't be there, don't forget. Think of me Miss, please, because if you die I'm out of a job," he said, ending with a joke and a half smile._

 _Shirayuki's eyes lit up and she laughed along with him. "I won't forget, I could never forget you, Obi," she beamed up at him as she began to lead the horse out of the stable now, Obi was right next to her._

 _"What Master doesn't realise is anything could happen when you're there. I would have been more suited to go since I'm combat trained, Miss. I just-Miss, you're just too kind and gentle, you're not meant for this," he said, coming out as a whine but she knew it was just because he was concerned for her._

 _"You're kind too, Obi. Why should you have this burden all the time? And you know, every time you leave for some task to complete, I often wonder if you'll return and it hurts, too, you know? I am under the employ of the Crown too, I'm a Court Herbalist and so it falls to me to do this task because if I didn't, I wouldn't be fit to be a Court Herbalist," she explained softly, trying to get Obi to understand._

 _He didn't voice his true concerns because it would only scare Shirayuki. She gave him a tight hug before he helped her onto her horse and she rode off._

 _Zen, Mitsuhide, Kiki and Ryu stood beside him - all of them worried as well, it would seem._

 _"You said you had spies in Lyrias and Wilant, Master, when will they send word?" asked Obi, not taking his eyes of Shirayuki who was still waving._

 _The frost haired young man nodded. "In three days."_

* * *

She dismounted her horse. She was now in Lyrias.

It was strange being back here after so long, but she had always made sure to keep in touch with Yuzuru and the others.

But now was not the time, she had to find the person who would be able to take her to her new 'job'.

Shirayuki pulled her hood off and walked over to the tavern nearby but before she could open the door and sack was pulled over her head and the last thing she remembered was the strong smell of chloroform.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The light sounds of people talking was the first thing she heard. Then silence and the slam of a door.

Shirayuki's eyes flittered open. She blinked a few times, trying to register where she was. It was not her bed nor Obi's.

 _Oh, that's right. I have a job to do._

"You're awake then, Red," said a feminine voice from beside her.

Shirayuki frowned. "I-where am I?"

"You're here for the job aren't ya?" the girl said.

She finally sat up and groaned, a headache looming cloudily through her head as she remembered being knocked out by the chloroform.

Shirayuki's forest green eyes focused on the girl now. She looked to be her age, short black hair, purple orbs and a thin face. She was petite and wore a nightgown. The girl seemed to look kind though, well, kind enough.

"Yes. I'm a Herbalist," said Shirayuki with a small smile. "May I ask your name?"

The girl seemed taken aback and nodded in return. "My name is Riza. Reno wants to see you."

Again Shirayuki's brow knitted together, clearly not recognising the name.

"Is he...is he the boss?" she stammered, all of a sudden nervous. Could this be the leader of this group?

"He is for now but he wants to see you, so if you're able, lets go so you can meet him," she said with a small smile as she reached her hand to grab Shirayuki's arm.

The red head nodded and swung her legs over the side of the cot she was lying in and found that her boots were gone. She was barefoot and also.

"Did-did you change me into this, Riza?" asked Shirayuki, a little embarrassed and also irritated. Where were her things? And what was with her silky nightgown? It was a bit revealing with the cleavage lower than she liked and it only reached the middle of her thighs at the bottom!

She nodded but kept dragging her to the door. Riza opened the door quickly and turned left, Shirayuki in tow. Shirayuki tried to memorize where they were going as she was being lead left, right, right again and then through a large hall which was now empty. There were enough chairs in this space for at least two hundred people. The area was clearly the hall where they ate with large tables everywhere and one large table with around eight or so chairs that faced toward the rest.

Shirayuki guessed that the leaders sat there for their meals.

Suddenly she was dragged out of the hall and left again and now, Riza stopped outside a door with two tall, lean men guarding it with swords. One was older, probably mid thirties or middle aged and the other seemed around her age, early twenties. He looked her up and down appreciatively with a half smirk before opening the door. It was made of oak or something similar, in fact the whole decor in this place was all wood, like it was all home made and carved by hand.

The door in front of her had the skull of some animal with horns, adorned at the top middle of it. So this was the leader, perhaps?

"Bring her in," said a solemn voice from within the room.

Riza walked in and stood next to her. Shirayuki looked around at the room. It was huge with a red fluffy couch in the middle of the room with a wooden coffee table in front. There was a bar to her right in the corner of the room with lots of alcohol sitting on the bench, she noticed. On the walls were hanging swords, axes, knives and various other weapons she hadn't seen before. It was as if this man was ready for battle at a moments notice.

But at the back of the room was a very large oak desk and a man was sitting on the edge of it, eying her unabashed. He was tall, lean but not too muscly - sort of Obi's build. He had dark brown, short hair, a vest, black long sleeved shirt, black pants and boots on. His demeanor was very commanding and she didn't like the look he had in his eye.

Yes, he definitely looked like he was ready for battle at anytime.

"That will be all Riza," he said, without even looking at her, his grey orbs fixated on Shirayuki

Riza hesitated, looking from Shirayuki to the man several times but then she bowed her head.

The way she addressed him, startled Shirayuki as her forest green eyes darted to Riza, slightly wider than before.

"Yes Master."

And suddenly her mind filled with images of Obi.

"So. My name is Reno, welcome to The Order," he said with a charming smile as he pushed off from the desk and walked over to her.

His eyes never leaving hers and it was becoming very disconcerting.

Shirayuki placed a hand on her arm, nervously, and smiled as genuinely as she could.

"But I haven't had an interview-

"Oh dear, Red, there won't be a need for that," he said, a smile forming on his lips. "You're perfect."

* * *

The guard knocked on Zen's door with more urgency than a usual report which caused Zen to immediately tell him to enter. Obi was already on the window sill and jumped inside.

Zen noticed but was used to his actions because the last three days had been nothing but Obi intruding in his office in case of news about The Order. He didn't say anything and allowed him to hear what the guard was going to say.

"Both messengers sent these via bird," said the guard quickly, handing two pieces of parchment to Zen.

The prince quickly grabbed them and when he opened the letter from Lyrias, something fell out. It was a photo.

" _We managed to find out one person's name and took a photo of her (name written on the back of the photo). She was with one of the missing women,"_ literated Zen from the letter.

"Here Obi, do you recognise her?" asked Zen as he handed him the photo.

Suddenly the colour began to drain slowly from Obi's face and his eyes widened.

"I've got to go," was all he said before running toward the window and jumping out.

That was the last time Zen saw Obi for a long, long time.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

"I'm a herbalist," said Shirayuki, trying to ascertain as to why they needed one.

It seems Reno was as good at revealing information as Obi.

"Yes, well, lets put it to the test, shall we?"

Suddenly running footsteps were heard and a knock at the door.

"Sorry Reno, she's refusing again," said the man.

Reno's fist clenched and Shirayuki noticed a vein on his forehead pop out slightly.

"Fine. Make sure she finds out what happens when she refuses," he said quietly but the menacing tone in his voice was all too obvious.

Shirayuki knew from that moment on that this man was extremely dangerous.

Reno took Shirayuki's arm in his and dragged her with him.

They walked out of his room and straight down the hall. She had no choice but to come but she wanted to anyway to find out exactly what was going on.

His footsteps were light, despite wearing those boots of his and she could feel his muscles through his shirt, now that he forcefully had his arm wrapped around hers as if they were taking a stroll through the garden.

Finally they reached some stairs and he let go of her.

"Ladies first," he said, showing a fake courteous expression as he motioned with his hand downward.

The stairs went down a fair way but she could see an archway at the bottom. The stairs were lit up with candles on the walls. She did as he asked and walked down them carefully.

Once they both reached the bottom, he opened the door and her eyes widened. There were many herbalists, it seemed, working with various plants.

They all had masks on. Just what was going on here?

"W-why do you need me with all these herbalists here?" she stammered, unable to fathom what Reno's intent was.

He ignored her question and instead, brought her to a vacant table with a single potted plant. "Unpot this and retrieve the leaves."

She looked at it first and realised it was a Grecian Foxglove. Toxic, if handled incorrectly but she wouldn't die.

"Do you have gloves?" she asked, turning to look up at Reno who had his lips pursed, observing her quietly.

"No. Why would you need them?"

Shirayuki sighed. "Its a Grecian Foxglove, its highly toxic. I can do it with my bare hands but I will probably get symptoms, that's all," she explained but realised he was just testing her.

His eyes lit up in excitement.

"There you go, hot _and_ a proficient herbalist," he smiled but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "I would test you more, as I have with the others but I think you are skilled enough."

Shirayuki sighed and nodded.

Reno dragged her out of the room, shut the door and dragged her upstairs. Suddenly they were all the way back to where his office was.

"Riza!" he yelled across the hall.

All of a sudden, she could hear pattered footsteps and a few moments later, Riza was there beside her. "Yes Master."

"The summit is starting tomorrow and those of interest will be arriving at noon. Make sure Red, here, is ready," smiled Reno, his eyes lighting up as he scanned her body one more time.

She didn't like it one bit.

"You're a beautiful woman, Red. Tell me, what's your name?"

She had rehearsed this. She could do this, just think of what Obi would do. He wouldn't hesitate to say his name _Nanaki_ and he would act as though none of this fazed him.

"Y-yuki," she stuttered. She was so nervous and now, she was scared.

Just what was her other job?

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Riza walked her back to the room they were in early when she had awoken.

"Riza, what is my other job?"

The girl across the room looked over at Shirayuki, her eyes reflecting in the moonlight that shone through the small window, very close to the ceiling. And in the reflection she saw envy.

"Don't you know, Yuki? You'll be serving them. They are your _M_ _asters_ now."

* * *

 **A/N:** _Thank you for reading, apologies for the very long chapter. More to come._

 _Bullet2tm_


	2. Chapter 2

**Equilibrium**

 **Chapter 2**

 **A/N:** _Hi, thanks for reading this one. I know its very dark and different but I guess I'm trying to explore 'what if Obi's past was very dark and really really bad' scenario. Please let me know your thoughts. Its not popular but I don't mind. I will continue it anyway :)_

* * *

Shirayuki didn't get a wink of sleep the previous night. She was still mulling over in her mind what Riza had told her and it was pretty cold since they seemed to only be provided with thin sheets.

 _"Don't you know, Yuki? You'll be serving them. They are your Masters now."_

Being a servant didn't bother her, she was a commoner after all and she liked to think she had good customer service too.

The problem was the way Reno kept eyeing her like she was a piece of meat. It made her sick.

And the fact that now she knew that she wasn't just going to be doing her job as a Herbalist made Obi's words ring in her ears.

 _"I'm just going to be doing herbalist work-"_

 _"You don't know that. You don't know what people are capable of; I do."_

He was right once again but it didn't change the fact that she _had_ to come. There wasn't a choice because Zen had said he had to send one of them and the only option was her.

Her thoughts occupied a lot a time and before she knew it, it was dawn. She heard her room mate stir and turned to face the opposite side of the room.

"You didn't sleep, did you Yuki?" the girl asked, cutting through the silence.

Shirayuki smiled brightly over to Riza.

"You caught me," said Shirayuki, laughing, but Riza didn't really smile back.

Riza sat up, stretching a little and directed her purple eyed gaze back at Shirayuki.

"You have pretty hair," said Riza with a small smile, starting to creep onto her lips.

Shirayuki smiled back but it faltered a little. Again, it came back to her hair. Was there anyone who didn't care about the color of her hair?

 _"Its my hair, isn't it? That's why you said I looked beautiful," she said jokingly with a small smile but beneath her demeanor, her heart was breaking._

 _Zen's cheeks darkened. "I, well, maybe that's how it started..." he began to confess._

 _OOO_

 _"I'll never be rid of it," she said through tears._

 _"Miss..."_

 _"Oh, don't try and pretend its not the first thing you thought when you saw me," she said snippily and as soon as the words left her lips she felt guilty._

 _Obi hadn't made her cry, it wasn't his fault that every one today seemed to be commenting on her hair._

 _"Oh, no Miss. I saw fire."_

 _Her tears seemed to stop and she'd jerked her head up to look at him, her eyes widened in surprise, as she clutched her knees to her chest in the freezing cold snow._

 _"Really?"_

 _"Really. Bravery is really something hard to come by these days...and kindness, devotion, hard work, brilliance and...beauty."_

 _He didn't elaborate but she felt like he was talking about **her** when he said those things._

Oh yes, there had been one person who didn't see her hair as her only asset. But he wasn't here now.

"Thank you. So, what is in store for us today? I'm assuming I won't be doing my herbalist duties today?"

Riza's smile instantly faded as she pulled off the sheet and walked over to Shirayuki's bed. She looked into her eyes so intently as she stood next to her.

"You have to learn and learn fast, they don't tolerate mistakes or refusals," said Riza as her eyes darted to the ground, sadly, for a moment for snapping back to Shirayuki.

 _Just what was going on in this place?_ she thought.

"You will be okay as long as you call them Master and always bow your head, don't look into their eyes directly unless they ask you to. Make sure their wine goblets and always filled and you'll be fine," explained Riza with a sigh, placing a slender hand on her shoulder, her eyes back on the floor. "You are lucky, you don't have to serve them until dinner but...that is the worst time because they'll be drunk and then anything can happen."

Shirayuki was not liking the sound of this at all. What the hell had she got herself into? What would they do exactly if she did make a mistake?

She wasn't going to ask at this point.

"Today, you'll come with me and learn the ins and outs of this place and we'll meet the others. But more importantly, you need to learn."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

As they walked down the hall, female laughter could be heard and steam traveled down the hall. She couldn't even remember where she was now, the place was a huge maze.

Shirayuki followed Riza obediently and as they turned another corner and entered two double doors that dripped with condensation, her eyes widened in amazement.

Her mouth formed into a perfect 'O' and the girls laughter died to silence. There were four other women sitting naked in what seemed to be their very own bath house.  
Their ages appeared to range from adolescent to probably late twenties, which is almost where she sat.

"Kimi, Atsuko, Hanni, Renka," announced Riza. "This is the new girl, Yuki."

Three of the girls 'awwed' but one of them, the one that looked to be her age, if not a bit younger, frowned. They were all very beautiful girls, if she were being honest. Three of them came out of the steaming, giant bath and greeted her with smiles.

The blonde, slim and flat breasted one smiled and held out her hand for her to shake, which she did. "My name is Kimi. I'm a herbalist but like you, we have dual jobs as the servers."

The tallest girl who had long wavy almost purple hair and average sized breasts - also the oldest, smirked.

"My name is Atsuko. I'm the eldest here so I can show you the ropes, no probs. And this here," explained Atsuko and stopped to place a hand on the youngest girl's head. "...is Hanni. She's the youngest but also the cutest," smiled Atsuko, beaming down at Hanni.

Hanni stood about a head lower than Atsuko. She had black, straight hair, tied into a bun but she smiled brightly and took Shirayuki's hand.

"Pleased to meet you," her meek voice spoke up, though Shirayuki could barely hear her.

"That over there is Renka. Will you come over here Renka?" snarled Atsuko, giving Renka an annoyed expression.

The girl who was sitting back in the water rolled her eyes. She had blonde hair as well but seemed to be about Shirayuki's age. It was also tied into a bun.

"Come on, you guys get undressed and grab your towels and jump in. We have another hour before we have to get out," explained Atsuko as they got back into the water.

Shirayuki was not used to bathing with so many women and she had never had the luxury to be allowed in a bath house before anyway and nor could she afford it. She gingerly pulled off her garments and followed suit with Riza who was awaiting her to get in.

The shape of the bath house was rectangular but the bath itself was so intriguing because it looked as if they were outside with rocks and shrubs surrounding them but she suspected they were fake - well the plants were, anyway.

She'd never felt so relaxed and as the girls seemed to go back to their talking, she took in the warm water and let her muscles relax.

"I heard that Reno received word from a relative and they're coming here for the duration of the Summit," said Atsuko who loved a bit of gossip, it seemed.

"I think its true because I heard a guard talking about it too. But they're also wary because he hasn't been back for a while-"

"Well of course not, Kimi, you idiot. This place is only used as a base, they don't usually live here, except for Reno. Usually their jobs take a while and I heard that this guy is pretty tough," exclaimed Renka, lifting her chin a bit, almost as if she knew something the others didn't.

"Anyway, back to Yuki, lets learn all there is to know about _you_ girl!" exclaimed Atsuko.

Shirayuki sunk down a bit until the water reached her neckline. She put her hands up as if surrendering.

"Oh, there's not much to learn, honestly," she laughed awkwardly.

"Pfft, of course not. You're just a plain jane who wanted to earn some cash right? Nothing new there. And while we're on the subject of you being new, here's a news flash so listen up. I've been here longer and therefore, I'm above you," snapped Renka, a clear feeling of envy emanating from her words.

She crossed her arms and huffed. Shirayuki frowned, unsure of what to actually say to that and the others gasped in shock at how rude Renka was being.

"Well, it was nice to meet you, Renka," said Shirayuki, genuinely.

Renka frowned too. Usually the reaction she got from a comment like that would have earned her an enemy, and yet, sitting across from her was a girl who didn't seem affected by her cold words.

But she shrugged it off. No woman could be unaffected, she would show the others that this _Yuki_ was just putting it on.

OOOOOOOOOOO

It didn't take her long to find out more information, it seemed that gossip spread like wildfire.

The Summit which everyone seemed to be talking about, was a meeting between a group of criminal lords who had signed an agreement to fly under the banner The Order.

The point of the Summit was to divide up spoils, discuss current and future plans for each lord's area that fell under their control and was also the time for most of the men and women who worked under Reno's direct employ to come and relax after their tasks were completed.

It seemed their organisation started out as swords for hire then they branched out by broadening the type of work they carried out, whether it be guarding work, assassination or thievery. But they also did jobs for themselves and some factions of the group specialised in contract killing but the group as a whole had their hands in just about any pie throughout the land, including drugs, human trafficking, prostitution and gang related business.

"The 'position description' they give us is server but we are basically maids...maids that do...many things," said Atsuko, cryptically. "Renka, Riza, you and I do the same job. However, Hanni is too young so she mainly just helps out in the kitchen."

Shirayuki nodded and took it all in as she went. They had already been through the daily chores, which was a piece of cake for her since she wasn't a stranger to hard work.

Renka had done her duty for the day because she and Riza had served the criminal lords that had arrived at noon, but now it was Atsuko and Shirayuki's turn and she was becoming nervous.

Suddenly they were in Atsuko's room getting ready for the night.

"Don't be alarmed but this is our maid outfit for tonight," said Atsuko, almost painfully.

It appeared that Atsuko didn't much like it either.

"O-oh my," began Shirayuki as her eyes went wide with shock. "I-I have to wear...that?!"

Atsuko nodded.

"But don't be ashamed, you have a nice body Yuki, you will be fine. But this outfit is the least of our problems."

Shirayuki stopped in her ministrations of getting undressed. Her night dress which she had still been wearing since that morning was already lying on the floor. She turned to look at Atsuko and the older girl looked almost haunted.

"Apparently Reno's brother has arrived. I peeked into the hall earlier and people were...afraid of him. I overheard Reno talking earlier with Lanzo, his second in charge while I was serving them something to drink in his office. He's the _one..._ " explained Atsuko but her voice trailed off at the end.

Shirayuki frowned. "What do you mean? He's the one...what?"

"A long while ago, probably seven or eight years ago, Reno's brother worked with him. I mean, they were like this," said Atsuko, crossing her index and middle finger together to make her point.

Shirayuki nodded in understanding and urged her to go on. After all, the point of her being here was to collect information.

"But Reno hated that his brother always went out to do what their men did. Jobs. He has a photo of him in his office, on his desk. The the rankings in this organisation are determined by power and skill. Reno is at the top because he is the most skilled and probably the best fighter in the organisation. So his brother must have been a close second. I hadn't been around long back then and I didn't get to see him but, I heard that his brother was actually more skilled than he was and had surpassed him but just didn't want people to know."

That was interesting, so they were all fighters. She absently wondered if Obi could beat him.

Her thoughts began to get distracted as she sat on the bed, next to Atsuko.

She actually missed Obi terribly...missed his touch, his sweet smile, tenderness and appreciation. Just his presence, that's all she wanted.

"Come on, we better get changed."

OOOOOOOOOOOO

The outfit made her feel too exposed and the fact that there were men out there...beings of the opposite sex...did not bode well with her.

Plus this 'deadly' brother of Reno's was out there too. As time went on, she realised, she wouldn't survive here for a week as Zen had told her.

Her red hair, well, that alone was something that would be troublesome but now this outfit? She looked herself in the mirror, now back in her own room. Riza was behind her, adjusting the skirt and then she looked into the mirror and smiled.

Her cheeks were red and not just from the light blush that Riza had applied to her cheeks. She rarely wore makeup at the best of times but now?

The skirt she now wore was long, just on her hips and seemed to be made of silk with slits down either side her leg, which was fine. It was the top that she was against. The top was black with white frills along the edges, depicting a maid's outfit, she assumed, but for summer she was guessing, darkly.

The top was too tight and short and it stopped above her belly with the 'v' cut at the top causing her cleavage to be very visible. This was so degrading, how could they subject women to this...this indignation!

And earlier, she had been fitted with a choker. They hadn't said what it was but she had a feeling it symbolized something since the others wore the same.

"Its okay. Its only a few hours. I had to wear the same at lunch time, as long as you can get used to the groping. Reno doesn't let them touch more of you than that, unless they pay for you," explained Riza without batting an eye.

"Uh...what?" asked Shirayuki, flabbergasted.

Riza laughed, for the first time since she met her. "I'm just kidding."

Relief washed over her.

She pulled her long apple red locks down either side her shoulders, hoping they would cover some of her cleavage and looked into the mirror at her face.

The make up was good, not too heavy, not too dark. And she refused to wear lipstick.

"Seriously though, please remember. Don't make eye contact and call them 'Master'. Reno will make sure they don't touch you too much but a little groping he'll allow."

Shirayuki was panicking now. She had a bar back in Tanbarun which was fine, there were some men that groped her at times and she could push through that no problem, but what if Reno didn't stop them going further?

She would have to be on her guard. She wanted to prove to Zen that she could take the burden of tasks like this, instead of Obi or Mitsuhide and Kiki. A knock on the door stopped her thoughts and a male head poked in.

His breath hitched at the site of Shirayuki and he stuttered.

"I-Its time, Y-yuki," stuttered the man.

"What about shoes?" asked Shirayuki, astounded that she hadn't asked sooner.

Riza pursed her lips and then looked at her with clear tension at the question.

"Its forbidden to wear shoes."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Wolf whistles erupted in the hall as the girls walked out. She did as Atsuko and Riza told her. Made sure the wine glasses were filled, took away their plates, put up with some groping and drunken conversations that they were trying to have with her.

Without looking up once, she noticed how the men were utterly disgusting. They shoveled food in their mouths and followed it with wine. Some men were so drunk they were dueling with each other randomly, all around the place.

Most of them were older but some young as well but the younger ones seemed to be apprentices or were still learning. And then there were the men around her age who were dressed in black with black pants and boots, much like Reno had dressed earlier and she couldn't help feel there was something familiar with their outfits.

They were clearly the workers, the men who carried out their jobs, for money and for riches for their organisation. They all looked like they were enjoying their drinks and a lot of them had a very dangerous look in their eyes.

As she came closer to the Reno's table, they were dead silent and she could feel eyes upon her straight away, although, someone had been staring at her the whole time she had been serving.

"Ah, the new comer. Yuki, come closer and look at me," he purred the place setting in the middle. "I think you would have to be the most stunning server we've had and I think you should come to my room later..."

Shirayuki frowned, looking at Reno when suddenly her eyes noticed the person next to him.

Golden orbs stared back at her, astonished and then she recognised who it was. There was no mistake.

And he had been staring at her this whole god damned time! She had to do something, anything.

"How dare you," snapped the person to Reno's right. "I thought you trained them better than this."

Reno's lips thinned, clearly angry at her action.

Shirayaki's eyes widened. She had looked at him without permission. His golden eyes narrowed at her as he got to his feet.

No, no, it can't be him...this isn't...

"As celebration for my return, I think I get to do what I want tonight, right bro?" he said, without taking his eyes off hers, a grin plastered on his face in excitement.

The wine she was holding was shaking so she placed it onto the table beside her and began to take a step back...and then another and another until she was full blown running out of the hall.

"Go and get her...Nanaki," smirked Reno, looking over to his 'brother'. "She'll soon learn."

She went straight for Reno's office because she wanted to see for herself _who_ exactly was in that photo. The place was a maze but she managed to remember how to get to his office from the hall.

Shirayuki grasped the handle quickly, opened the door and slammed it shut with urgency, noticing that there weren't any guards there tonight. Maybe they just guarded Reno, not the room itself. She knew that someone would catch up to her in here since it was a dead end, but, she _had_ to know. Even if she could just find out this one piece of information before she was found, that's all she needed.

She raced to the desk to find what she was looking for.

"Come on...oh!" she gasped in horror, after rummaging over things on the top of the desk, her eyes finally spotted it.

There on the desk was a photo of...Obi. He was standing next to Reno solemnly - no smile in sight - with his usual attire that she always saw him wearing in at the palace, except without the soldier's shirt over the top and Reno's arm was draped around Obi's shoulders. Like they were familiar; like they were family.

This is how he acquired his skill set, this was-

"Miss," said Obi, closing the door behind him and latching it shut.

He quickly turned back to find Shirayuki by the wall where the weapons were. She picked up a dagger and pointed it at him.

This wasn't her...she wasn't violent and usually gave people the benefit of the doubt but could he blame her for this? After finding out the one person you trust most in the entire world had been lying this whole time?

She didn't know how to use the sword for a damn but she would try if she had to. Shirayuki was scared out of her wits, between the way he had spoken to her in the hall like it was part of his personality all along, to seeing him casually standing next to the one man who was probably the most feared in the country.

Was this...was this Obi? Had he _really_ been lying this whole time?

She was now afraid of the one person who had always made her feel safe and it made her sick inside.

"Now Miss, don't do anything silly. Let me explain-"

"Explain it to me, Obi! Tell me...tell me you're not his brother. That...disgusting man," she said with anger, her eyes blazing with fury.

"Put the dagger down and I'll explain, Miss, I promise," he said softly, his eyes back to normal.

Back to how they should be, soft...and loving but also pleading.

Shirayuki frowned and did as she asked, placing the dagger slowly to the ground.

"I have to take you to my room upstairs, though. I'm meant to be punishing you, remember?" he said with an unreadable expression. "If Reno catches you in here without consent, you _will_ be punished."

Shirayuki's eyes widened in horror and the sheer fear of that concept made her feel delirious. Even as he pulled her along the hall going left and right and up stairs and then suddenly, she found herself sitting on a bed.

"Miss..."

But as he sat on the edge of the bed next to her and turned to face her, his words stopped in his throat, a little shocked at Shirayuki's expression. He'd never wanted her to look at him like that, not ever, but he'd always feared that eventually, she would.

"I don't think that's appropriate anymore, _Master_ ," she said, bitterly.

Obi's golden orbs widened a little at the name she called him. He'd never seen her like this but it wasn't his fault! He tried to tell her to stay, although, at the time he didn't realise that this organisation was The Order.

"This...this is your home, isn't it?" she blurted out suddenly, after a few moments silence. Her eyes were lidded, looking downward at the floor.

Her hands were in her lap, clenching the material of her silk dress, her knuckles turning white with how tight she held them and her nails dug into her palms, painfully.

But she didn't feel it; not at all.

He noticed how tense she was and it was almost unbearable how close he was to her. He couldn't help but stare at her earlier in the hall and found that he couldn't stop the whole entire time.

He'd seen her soft, silky skin before but never that much of it. Shirayuki had looked so ravishing and sexy in her outfit - an outfit Zen would never have let her wear in a million years - it had taken all his will power not to grab her and throw something over her body to cover her up. And took even _more_ willpower to not kill every piece of trash that had groped her.

But on the same token, he couldn't really blame them for copping a feel. The top that the Order had provided her with to wear tonight left nothing to the imagination, hugging her torso too tightly and her cleavage...he'd never seen her cleavage until this night and when he'd spotted it, his pants had felt _very_ tight and his mouth had dried up instantly.

Oh that's right, he had to answer her question.

"It was. I left it a long time ago, a little before I was hired to steer you away from Master," explained Obi, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Look, Miss-"

"Don't call me that. My name is Yuki now."

Obi sighed. This woman was trying to frustrate him and to be honest, it was working. Couldn't she at least let him explain?

"Fine, Yuki. I came to get you out of here but it seems now that I've tried to integrate myself back into the circle, I have to stay for the Summit. I'm guessing they filled you in on what that is?" he explained as his golden orbs found her green ones.

She nodded, tears threatening to fall, but then she noticed his gaze and she frowned in confusion.

"I-I'm sorry, Miss. The way you're dressed-"

Suddenly she flushed red with embarrassment.

"Apparently its the uniform. Obi...its like you said, I wasn't just working as a herbalist, it seems," she said as she turned to face forward, away from his gaze. "And y-you can't call me that anymore around here. You can't call me 'Miss', you have to call me Yuki because that's my name here," she said, almost shamefully.

Obi sighed, moving closer to her.

"Yuki, do you...do you trust me?"

Shirayuki turned and finally faced him. After everything he'd done for her, after he helped her get through her heartbreak, never leaving her side after protecting her and for just being her friend, she knew the answer.

"Yes," she said quietly. "I-I was just shocked before so I'm sorry I pointed a dagger at you."

Suddenly Obi moved closer to her and tucked a strand of her hair behind one ear and then cupped one cheek.

"I'm sorry, M-Yuki, but I have to mark you. To show that I did what I said I was going to do," said Obi, quietly, his eyes looking downward almost in shame.

He was clearly ashamed of what was to come. "If we want to get through this week, you'll have to listen to what I say."

Shirayuki nodded.

Obi let out a breath and then leaned his head toward hers. Her eyes were shocked and then he lowered his face toward her neck where he placed his lips there, softly, and began to suck on the skin, hard.

His hands held her shoulders lightly as he continued his ministrations. It was the strangest sensation and instead of it hurting it actually made her feel...nice.

And then a gasp escaped her lips and it wasn't one of surprise or fear or that she was being hurt.

It was more like a moan of pleasure and as soon as he heard it, he pulled away in shock. His amber orbs stared at her, his hands now by his sides, deciding what he should do...or say.

Shirayuki's face went beet red.

"I-Ah I mean, sorry-"

"No, no, its okay, it is something one does when they're...intimate with someone so I guess its not a surprise," he said, awkwardly looking anywhere but into her eyes.

 _Oh god, how embarrassing_ , she thought to herself.

Come to think of it, she had never felt that kind of pleasure when she was with Zen because they'd never gone that far. They often kissed and hugged, held hands etc but they had never actually done anything sexual with each other.

And now, deep down, she longed for it again. That feeling.

Obi could see Shirayuki's eyes gloss over and he couldn't tell what she was thinking.

"We should sleep, Yuki," he said suddenly, thinking that perhaps she was tired.

She nodded in agreement. Shirayuki began to pull off her dress and Obi's eyes widened.

"H-Hey, what are you doing Miss?" he asked her, incredulous as he reached for her hands to stop her from pulling her skirt off fully.

Shirayuki frowned.

"Its just the bottom half, it will just get tangled when I get into bed," she explained, not understanding what the big deal was.

How many times had she gotten undressed in front of him in Lyrias? To give him credit though, she _had_ warned him and he always looked away like a gentleman.

But something about his demeanor felt off this time. Even as he absent mindedly pulled his boots off and his vest and slipped himself into bed, there was a look she couldn't recognise.

She pulled her skirt off now as he faced the wall and slipped into bed too beside him. It was now that she took in the room and its surroundings.

"Your room is so much better than mine," said Shirayuki with a grin, turning to face him. He blew out the candle by the bedside and turned to lay on his back.

He felt her arm wrap around his torso and her head lay back into the crook of his shoulder.

He had been so close...so close to letting down his guard with her. It seemed that ever since his Master and Shirayuki broke it off, his will power was getting weaker and weaker.

God, when he saw her in the hall, he couldn't take his eyes off of her. The way her long hair cascaded down her front which then brought attention to her cleavage and her middle was shown for the world to see. His mind kept imagining the scene over and over and he couldn't get it out of his head.

She was so god damned beautiful, what the hell was wrong with him?

And it was just going to get worse. He'd have to think of a plan so that no one else would touch her again but then...how could he stop _himself_?

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Obi had awoken first, not that he slept much. If he had to guess, he probably got three hours sleep because yesterday's events were just too much.

Zen and the others back at Wistal Castle were probably wondering where he'd gone because he didn't have time to explain. As soon as he'd seen the photo of Torou, he knew it was Reno who lead the Order.

They hadn't been called the Order before, when he'd left.

Obi felt a warm body against his and he groaned, looking down at Shirayuki's sleeping form. She had a leg over his and her arm tightly wrapped around his torso and he couldn't think of anything worse for him right now. Her hair fell over her face and some of it sat on top of his bare chest, tickling him a little.

He reached toward it, pulling the strands from his body and off of her face and tucked them behind her ear softly.

How many times had he dreamed of waking up to her holding him like this? How many times had he dreamed that she was his?

She was killing him, she really was.

He had to get them out of here as soon as the Summit was over. And then a thought occurred to him, although, he knew that his Miss wouldn't be fond of the idea.

He would have to declare her his for the time being so that no one else would go near her.

It was the only way. He would have to make a trip to town to purchase something to show his ownership of her. If he left now, he would be back before most of the guests would wake.

He carefully peeled her body off his, ignored his stiff erection that usually always graced him of a morning, due to dreams of a woman with apple red hair, and left quietly.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Shirayuki awoke slowly, her eyes blinking as they adjusted. She had heard someone in the room and the curtains were suddenly drawn, revealing more light that had been in the room before.

She groaned, beginning to slowly sit up and her eyes landed on familiar golden orbs as he stood over her. She noticed he had something in his hand.

He crouched down and held out the item.

"Look, Miss, I'm going to have to do something and you have to wear this. Will you let me put it on you?"

She nodded in a daze, still waking up and not really focusing properly. Suddenly he leaned in and unclasped her felt choker that had been placed on her last night.

He threw it to the side and held up a new choker. Her green orbs looked down at it, noticing a small diamond on the front of this one. Also, the band was made of a thicker leather material and before she could see the end of it, Obi had leaned in again to put it around her neck.

She heard a loud click, like metal on metal had just been forced together.

Her eyes met his as he leaned back and the guilt on his face frightened her.

"W-what was that?" she asked, afraid of the answer and then she sat up fully, her back against the headboard, as her hands quickly and desperately went to the back of her neck to feel what was there.

She snapped her gaze at him with distrust in them. "I-its a lock!"

Obi began to stand and nodded. "Yes."

Her heart began to pound in her chest, trying to think of reasons why Obi would do this. Would she ever be able to take it off?

"Its an official ownership leash. Only _I_ can remove it. Anyone who looks at you now will know you have a Master and when they see the initials on the ownership plate, next to the lock, they will be afraid to even go near you."

Shirayuki gasped in horror. Why was he saying these things?

"W-why did you do this, Obi?" she asked quietly, tears streaming down her face but she couldn't even sob. The shock was too much to even realise the wetness of her cheeks.

And her thoughts began to gather now that she was becoming more and more awake. Obi had always ever addressed people at the castle as Miss or Mister and Zen had been Master. He had never diverged from addressing someone by a formal name and she wondered...was that because of this 'ownership' rule that seemed to be law around here? Obi _had,_ after all, grown up with Reno and perhaps this had been all he'd known.

She had tried for years to get him to call her Shirayuki and after Zen broke it off with her, she especially tried to reason with Obi about how 'Miss' was no longer appropriate, but he never did.

But he acted as if he had been on the other side of the hierarchy when Shirayuki suspected, he had always been a 'master'. And now _she_ was the one who had to refer to people as such.

He turned away from her, bringing a hand up, rubbing the back of his head and then scrunching some of his hair tightly in anger.

"I...I told you not to come. I told you...I told you that you don't know what people are _capable of_ but you didn't listen," he said sternly and then turned to look at her horrified face.

"Oh and so you've leashed me up because I didn't listen?!" she exclaimed angrily. "Is this...is this why you always call me _Miss_? Because of...this place?"

He ignored her comments but his body stiffened at her tone. Fool. His mask was breaking and it was all because he was desperately trying his best to keep her out of harms way while at the same time, trying to keep her at arm's length.

Obi closed his eyes, his head turned upwards as he took a deep breath. He then turned to face her, remorse on his face.

"Look, Miss-"

" _Yuki,_ " she said dangerously quiet.

He cleared his throat and nodded, remembering her words from the previous night.

"Sorry, Yuki, that's not why I did that. You just have to trust me and if anyone tries to touch you, just tell them that you belong to me. Nanaki Akuma."

Her eyes widened a little, the tears were dry now and she held a curious gaze on him. "Why Nanaki Akuma? Is that your real name?"

He clenched his jaw, not comfortable revealing as much as he had, but he had not choice now.

"Nanaki was the name given to me when I came here but _Akuma_ is the surname I _earned_. That's how it works. The first name is given to orphans when they're integrated to work in this organisation. It wasn't always called the Order. But the last name...the last name is something you earn and usually when earned, it reflects what you are."

Shirayuki was starting to understand because she gasped. "D-demon?"

Oh, so she knew what Akuma meant.

His lips formed a line and nodded silently, his auburn cat-like eyes trained on her solemnly.

"I wasn't always so...amicable, like I was at the castle...with you and Master."

He didn't need to continue because she was working out what that meant in her own mind.

"Is-is that why you said people would be afraid when they saw the initials on my choker?" she asked - another question she was scared of the answer to.

Obi again nodded in acknowledgement. He noticed how her hands began to shake and she clenched her fists to try and stop herself, but he had seen it. He walked toward her.

Surprisingly she didn't flinch away but perhaps she was just too shocked to be afraid of him. He knelt in front of her again, grabbing her hands and her eyes looked down at him. For some reason, he thought he would see shame or fear or something similar but there was none.

It was pity...and sadness.

"I always wondered why you were so cagey about your past and now I know. Y-you must have been through hell. I-I'm so sorry, Obi, oh-I mean Nanaki," she said, correcting herself quickly but he shook his head.

His eyes widened in shock. Didn't she think he was disgusting? Didn't she think he was twisted and fucked up? How could she even look at him the same way she always had? And yet, she _was_...she had always been so understanding and forgiving and it was so perplexing.

"When its just us can you please...just call me Obi, like you always have?" he asked and then she noticed how forlorn he looked, like she were looking down at a young orphaned child who just wanted to be loved.

Shirayuki smiled and put a hand to the top of his head, ruffling his hair. "Of course."

He smiled and sighed as he leaned forward, laying his face into her lap for a moment while Shirayuki put a hand to the back of his head.

"Obi, I'll have to go to Riza shortly," began Shirayuki, dreading what today would bring them.

Slowly he raised his head. Idiot.

Here they were talking about his past, enjoying their moments together, knowing that today was another day and that they would have to get through that without suspicion.

"Look, just stick to what I said. When people ask you about the leash, tell them you belong to me. They won't question it. Also, I will speak to you differently than what I have previously. They treat their slaves like poultry here but just remember, this will keep up the rouse until I can figure out how to get us out of here. I won't mean any of it."

Shirayuki nodded with an understanding smile as they both began to stand. She moved away from him and the bed and headed toward the door with her skirt back on her hips.

"Mi-Yuki. You have to forget about the mission Master gave you, it will only get you in trouble," said Obi sternly, his auburn orbs boring into the back of her head.

She pondered for a moment. "But-" she began. Her hand hovered over the door handle but she didn't turn to face Obi because she didn't want to lie to him and she didn't want to reveal that she _would_ in fact continue her investigation because this place, the Order, they needed to be stopped.

And she felt guilty because this place and Reno...they were Obi's family. But it was the right thing to do, wasn't it? Shirayuki absently wondered if Obi told her to stop because it could mean his family could be taken away.

"No but's, it will get you _killed_ here. I was wary with you leaving for the mission before but now I know who you will be spying on, I know it will be impossible."

Shirayuki understood him but was sort of shocked at how he spoke to her. He'd always been so compliant and never demanding, so why had he started now?

And when she left him in the room alone, she knew that look and realised that he was speaking out of desperation and not meaning to be so forceful.

It was _fear_ in his eyes - but of what, she wasn't certain.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"I love this part of the job," smiled Riza, her purple orbs lit up and her short black hair flowed around her as the wind blew.

They were by a creek that must cross the land where Fujioka Castle stood. She had just learned the name of the place she was staying at as they had walked out into the fresh air and it had once belonged to a Shogun who had long since passed.

The gushing of the creek in front of them brought her attention to just how close she was to escape...but she couldn't leave Obi. And besides, she probably wouldn't get far bare foot with a castle full of trained killers.

Shirayuki brushed the soap up and down the drenched kimono which lay against the washboard and then removed the soap, placing it on the soft grass next to her and then picked up a cloth and started brushing it up and down the garment. Suds began to form and then she moved to another section of it and picked up the soap again.

But she understood Riza because this was more bearable than being a play thing inside the castle. She would choose this menial task any day.

"Oh my god, did you see Nanaki?" said the sultry voice of Renka.

This brought her attention over to the other three girls a few meters away and more upstream. They were spread out, sitting on the edge on some rocks, spanning a few feet away from each other.

"Not again, Renka-" began Atsuko with a sigh as she vigorously washed the piece of clothing on her own washboard.

"He's so hot. He's the epitome of tall, dark and handsome, not to mention mysterious and if he makes me his slave I will die of happiness!" the blonde girl shrilled as her cheeks began to turn pink just thinking of the man.

Shirayuki tried not to let it bother her and why would it? Obi had always only ever been and always will be her closest friend and...well, she was thinking body guard but she supposed that weren't true anymore.

He was her _master_ now.

But she couldn't help but overhear Renka's praises of him. Was it true? Of course she knew he was tall and handsome, she had told him as such on various formal occasions.

Her comments had always ever been of platonic nature though.

Except that hearing praises like that coming from another woman _about_ Obi made her feel...unpleasant.

"Yuki...he gave that to you, didn't he?" whispered Riza from beside her, bringing her out of those unwanted thoughts she was having.

She looked over and violet met forest green and she audibly gasped when she realised what Riza was referring to.

"That's not the choker we put on you last night."

Shirayuki looked down at the kimono, noticing it was clean now and dipped it into the creek quickly.

"Don't...don't say anything yet-"

"I won't but _eventually_ someone will ask," said the girl, looking over at Renka and Atsuko - but more pointedly at Renka. "And you stayed with him last night cos you didn't come back to the bedroom."

Shirayuki remained silent but nodded.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry they broke you so soon," were Riza's only words as she turned away and went back to her laundry.

But why did those words sound like condolences?

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Reno listened to all of the criminal lord's ideas. Some were interesting, some stupid and some were legitimately concrete and worth looking into.

"Thank you gentleman. _I_ also have a concern I need to bring forward to you all. There is a group that is causing us some concern up in the mountains near the border of Tanbarun."

Obi's ears pricked up because he had a feeling he knew that group.

"We had a good lot of human cargo being brought to us by the Claw - Umihebi couldn't make it by the way because she's still incarcerated by that fool Raj Shenezard - and then it was once again thwarted. It seems the current leader of the Claw will need a talking to. Not really the point, but anyway, according to reports it was the group called the Mountain's Lions again. Sound familiar? I mean they've been getting the better of them for years, these _Lions,_ but now its really becoming a bother."

The occupants in the room all seemed to murmur in agreement, nodding to each other and raising their pints in the air.

"After the summit, I'll send a few of your groups to their settlement up in the mountains and we'll take care of them, along with a few of my own forces. Also, this brings me to some good news."

Reno turned to look at Obi whom looked back at him questioningly beside him. Obi had been sitting there for over an hour, slouching over the table, one elbow resting on top, holding up his face in boredom.

"Yesterday, we acquired a new herbalist," began Reno, turning back to the men.

Obi listened intently now while continuing to look bored still. This was one of his best skills.

"She's a fiery young thing but beneath all that beauty is something I would have missed if I hadn't been looking. She's smart and I believe she may be able to fix our problem with our new drug and I think I can motivate her to quickly solve it by the time our Summit ends," he grinned with glee, his eyes scanning the room to find smiles on all their faces.

Reno then looked to his side toward one of his men who stood beside their table. Obi looked up at him and watched as he walked out of the hall.

Suddenly the doors opened to reveal a young woman who looked to be around Shirayuki's age with light blue hair. A man behind her pushed her forward slightly, motioning for her to walk into the room and down the middle aisle.

"Walk to him, girl," grunted the man.

Obi didn't react but he knew that girl was going to be trouble.

"Meet Yuzuri. Apparently her and Shirayuki worked together for some time," spoke Reno.

As she moved slowly toward their table, Obi looked in the other direction, hoping that Yuzuri wouldn't recognise him.

She was distraught and tear stains were evident on her face. She wouldn't recognise him here because she was just looking to the ground, upset and drawn within herself.

Obi could see how her wrists were red raw and knew she had been chained up for a while. Just how long had she been here? He didn't like it, not one bit.

Yuzuri was his friend...was Shirayuki's _close_ friend. But then, how did Reno know she could be used against her?

Did Reno know Shirayuki was from Wistal Castle?

"You, my dear, will be an excellent tool, especially now you've given in."

She still didn't look up but nodded obediently.

"Good girl. Take her back, she'll be meeting someone familiar soon. Now, lets continue with other business. Formally meet my younger brother, Nanaki Akumo."

It was time for Obi to put on a good show. They were expecting a demon, so, he would have to oblige.


	3. Chapter 3

**Equilibrium**

 **Chapter 3**

 **A/N:** _Hey all, thanks for the reviews, I like the hear your thoughts. But as I said, this is quite a dark fic and is very much AU so don't expect it to follow canon at all. I try to keep the characters true to their canon personalities but the truth is, this situation they're in would cause anyone to do what they can to survive. Obi is just trying to keep her safe. There will be some other characters point of views shortly, so keep tuned. Thanks so much for reading :)_

* * *

"So Yuki, tell me where you hail from," started Kimi as they both walked downstairs with two of Reno's men behind them and one in front.

Shirayuki frowned as she thought about what she should tell her but in the end she realised she could tell the truth about this one since it wouldn't give away where she actually lived and who she worked for.

"Tanbarun," she said meekly with a small smile. "What about yourself?"

Kimi smiled, her eyes lighting up just thinking about her previous home. "I'm from Wilant, actually, I was a local herbalist there and back then, had thought of traveling to Clarines to apply as a Court Herbalist!"

Shirayuki couldn't hide her surprise and when they reached the bottom of the stair case, Kimi placed a hand on her shoulder.

"But that was the past," said Kimi, her blue orbs holding a sadness that Shirayuki could now understand.

Maybe she had been taken then...before she even got a chance to do what she dreamed of doing. Was Shirayuki just one of the lucky ones?

As they walked into the Herbalist room, Shirayuki's eyes burned with determination.

She would help to bring this organisation down and she inwardly apologised to Obi because she wouldn't be able to do what he asked.

When she walked in, half the girls who had been in the room on her first day were not present.

Kimi also seemed to notice the cull in people present and she looked to Shirayuki in slight alarm.

"Reno wants you two to look at that formula," began one of the guards, looking at Shirayuki and then over to the blonde.

He had a dangerous look in his eyes now, with his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned on the door frame, just daring them to question him.

And Shirayuki didn't want to disappoint.

"What is it, exactly? And what is it for?" asked Shirayuki but Kimi grabbed her arm, squeezing it and shook her head slightly.

But she wasn't one to stand down.

The guard narrowed his eyes. "Not your concern. I _can_ however tell you its a drug and that we need it to be more pure. At this stage, its at sixty percent."

Shirayuki's eyes widened. A drug? "What sort of drug?"

The guard glared at her and pushed off from the door frame. Kimi automatically started to back away but Shirayuki didn't follow her.

"If you want me to help you, perhaps you should-" she began when suddenly she was on the ground, covering her throbbing cheek with a hiss.

Her green orbs stared up at the guard in anger, tears in her eyes from the pain and Kimi was at her side immediately, helping her to her feet.

"Perhaps you should shut your mouth and do what we tell you. Reno doesn't accept failures and especially doesn't like curious girls," spat the guard, towering over them menacingly.

Shirayuki pursed her lips. God it hurt.

When she was on her feet, she merely nodded at the guard and walked over with Kimi to where two other girls were looking over some notes. She noticed there were some other men there too but they didn't seem to be guards. They were focused on their work, so she assumed they also were Herbalists.

None of them had dared look at the scene ahead of them when Shirayuki was questioning the guard.

The room was lined with long wooden tables, each with a sink, tools for cutting and crunching up herbs and a space for books to sit as references for their work. There would be at least twenty stations in the room but then why were there only five or six Herbalists in the room instead of twenty?

"There were fifteen people in here yesterday," whispered Shirayuki to Kimi as they both moved to a spare station.

The blonde nodded. "I know," she whispered back but she fearfully looked over to the entrance to see the guard glaring at them. "Lets just do what they say, we can talk later."

Shirayuki nodded.

An hour passed and Shirayuki realised it wasn't a medicinal drug, nor a poison. It was a recreational drug, which made sense because they wanted a pure product.

That meant that it would be more addictive and potent but also had more of a chance to cause an overdose. Also, she had never seen a drug like this before. The ingredients were a mix between powder and crystal but on a whole new level.

The formula was almost right and she could easily correct it right now...but she wouldn't. She would be dragging it out as long as possible. She refused to let the drug out onto the streets, knowing it would turn people into addicts with the first or second try or even worse, would kill them.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

They had been down there for ages, she didn't even know how long, when the guard had said it was time for them to go back to their other duties.

Shirayuki had to thank her lucky stars because she didn't know how to stall any longer and Kimi had been none the wiser of her plan.

However, perhaps it was too soon for her to be thanking the stars because as they were walking toward their lodgings to get changed into their outfits for the day, another guard came up to them, ordering Shirayuki to see Reno in his office. But she recognised him as the man who had slapped her earlier.

Kimi gave her a worried look, grabbing her hand and squeezing it. Shirayuki nodded at her with a reassuring smile before being dragged off by a guard.

The guard had his hand on her upper arm, squeezing it harder than necessary as they sped through the empty hall.

"I can _walk_ ," she exclaimed angrily as she yanked her arm out of his grasp but kept walking.

He looked back at her and narrowed his eyes and grabbed her arm again.

Suddenly they were outside Reno's office. The guard opened the door and shoved her inside. She landed unceremoniously on the ground and rubbed her sore arm.

Shirayuki looked up to see Reno's amused face and then his eyes focused on the guard behind her.

"That wasn't necessary, Hiro, we shouldn't be ruining the merchandise," said Reno, dangerously calm and when his eyes met his, the guard bowed immediately.

"Apologies, Reno."

And then he shut the door behind him, leaving her in the presence of Reno and someone else who was sitting on the couch but he was facing Reno and had his back to the entrance.

Shirayuki began to get herself to her feet and when she looked up, Reno was standing above her.

God, he was fast.

His eyes which she noticed were grey in color, landed on her cheek with a frown on his face.

"Tsk tsk. A guard did that?"

Shirayuki licked her lips and nodded and then in her peripheral vision, she noticed movement and saw gold orbs staring at her. He had his jaw clenched, obviously seeing what Reno saw on her cheek.

Oh, so the other person was him.

Her eyes then went back to Reno who seemed to be looking at her thoughtfully.

"So. What do you think of my formula?" he asked softly as he reached down, grazing his thumb against her cheek gently.

Shirayuki hissed in pain at the touch.

"Its...potent... _Master_ ," she said stiffly, ignoring his touch.

Reno smirked. "That it is, Yuki."

His eyes moved from her cheek to her neck now and his eyes widened slightly. "You have a Master? Already?"

Shirayuki's eyes automatically wandered to the person who was now walking toward them.

" _Brother_ , can you take your hands off my property, please?" snapped Obi as he stopped behind him, his eyes showing his annoyance.

But Reno simply smiled and Shirayuki didn't like it, not at all.

"Oh?" said the leader, raising an eyebrow and turned to look at Obi who stood a few meters away.

Suddenly Shirayuki felt a chill and it wasn't because all she wore was her skimpy silk negligee that she was required to wear daily.

It was the way that Reno smiled at Obi, like he _knew_ something they didn't.

"Yes. Now, can we get on with business here?"

"What a pity, I was planning on taking her for myself soon, but no matter. Its my gift to you for returning to the fold, Brother. Of course, you'll have to stay. None of this running off doing jobs type thing, though," said Reno, turning to face Obi with an eyebrow raised.

Obi rolled his eyes.

"And how boring that would be."

Reno smirked before turning and walking toward his desk. "Neko, bring the girl in."

Suddenly the doors opened and a girl stumbled in with a guard behind her, grasping her slender arm tightly. She was then shoved to the ground and she fell to her knees and hissed in pain.

Shirayuki turned to look and her eyes widened in recognition. She looked at Obi in horror, about to bolt to the girl's side but Obi glared at her, telling her to not do what she was about to do. And although she wanted to go to her with every fiber of her being, she didn't.

But her green orbs never left her friend's, even though she wasn't looking up.

Oh god, what had they done? The blonde looked thinner than she had been a few months ago when she had visited her and wore the same sort of negligee Shirayuki had on but it was tattered and the way she held herself was so submissive.

Her head was bowed with her light blue bangs hiding her face and was on her knees, silent, even though Shirayuki suspected that she was in a bit of pain with the way she landed. She knew first hand what it felt like since Hiro had shoved her to the ground in the same manner.

 _Oh Yuzuri...what have they done to you?!_ she had thought.

She turned and glared at Reno who held a neutral expression.

" _No_ w, Yuki. Tell me about the formula."

Shirayuki looked over at Obi but he had turned now, sitting back on the couch, casually. Didn't he care? It was _Yuzuri_! But she remembered what he had said this morning that he would be acting the part, but boy, he truly was a good actor that was for sure.

"I-It isn't finished. I can...I can fix it but I need time-"

"You don't have _time_ , girl. I want it done by the end of the summit. Every day after that time that you do _not_ have my formula completed, I will give _her_ fifty lashings."

Her eyes widened and she turned back to Yuzuri who had now looked up, wondering why _she_ was to be subjected to such treatment to see her best friend staring back at her.

"No!"

Reno glared at the red head and started to walk over to her. He walked with purpose in a straight line toward her, his grey orbs piercing into her soul, about to teach her a lesson for speaking out of turn and raising her voice to him, after all, she had to learn how things worked, didn't she?

But then Obi was standing in front of her.

Shirayuki looked up at Obi's back and wondered when he'd gotten up from the couch and how he had moved so quickly to block her from his brother.

His back was so broad, she noticed, his back muscles defined from underneath the fabric of his shirt and he was standing so straight and tall. Had he always been so tall and broad? Back in Wistal, he always seemed to slouch in a relaxed fashion, so Shirayuki supposed she never had the opportunity to appreciate his full form.

Reno looked at her 'Master' curiously with an eyebrow raised, genuinely surprised by Obi's action of standing in front of her.

"Let me punish her, she's mine, remember?" said Obi with a sigh. "She's only new but she'll learn, however, she won't be able to stand tonight so will have to miss out on serving at dinner."

Reno grinned at the thought and nodded. "Fine. She's yours so I'll allow that. Its only one night but make sure she can do her job tomorrow."

Obi nodded and then he turned and looked down at her with anger in his eyes.

Shirayuki couldn't believe what she saw because Obi had never looked like that toward her and she knew he wasn't really angry...he was just pretending but it looked so _real_.

His eyes flickered to her cheek for a split second before moving back to her eyes and then put his hand to her other cheek and then slid up to her hair. He gripped a chunk of it tightly, causing her to wince and then he leaned down so his face was inches from her own as a malicious smirk began to grace his lips.

"Time to learn," he said huskily and his auburn orbs showed something she hadn't seen before. Was it...hunger? Excitement?

She gasped in shock and then hissed as he yanked her to her feet by her hair. Shirayuki yelped and then his hand moved from her hair and grabbed her arm roughly, pulling her along behind him.

"I'll see you later on, Nanaki, I'm sure you'll be fully satisfied by then," laughed Reno and then nodded to the guard to take Yuzuri back to her room too.

Shirayuki's eyes met Yuzuri's surprised and shocked ones as they were both dragged out of the room.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

He shut the door behind them and looked over to Shirayuki who stared at him. She was angry, he could tell, but he _had_ told her this would happen.

He knew it was all just a show but then why...why did he feel so disgusted with himself? And more than usual. The self loathing was always something that was on his mind, day in and day out. He never showed it to his Master, Zen, nor his Miss Shirayuki but it was always there.

But today he'd acted like a Master - something he swore he would never do, ever again. But it was all for her, wasn't it?

"Well come on then, _Master_. You were going to teach me a lesson," she said with a bite to her words, her green orbs showing fire toward him.

Obi swallowed and then slowly walked toward her. Shirayuki sat on the bed, her legs dangling off it as she continued to glare.

"Miss...you know that I had to say those things-"

"Did you?" she asked, looking up at him as he stood beside the bed. "What did you promise you would do exactly? How would you teach me a lesson Obi?"

Her body guard, now Master, looked down at her, incredulous.

"I-"

"I _know_ what it is but I want you to tell me. I want you to really think about-"

"You do, do you? I don't think you do, Miss," he said quietly, looking down at her, as he began to undo his knife belt.

It dropped to the ground and it surprised Shirayuki as it clattered, noisily.

"If I did what Reno wanted me to do, you'd be sore for hours. And not from labor or lashes," he said huskily, taking a step forward until he was almost standing in between her legs.

Shirayuki looked up at him wide eyed and her cheeks flushed a bright pink color.

"T-thats how they teach the girls to _learn_ here?" she gasped in horror, but she already knew that's what they had meant earlier.

It was just a bit of a shock _hearing it_ out a loud, though.

He leaned down but his eyes had landed on her cheek now and brought a hand to touch the affected area. It was starting to mildly bruise and he delicately traced the area with his thumb.

Shirayuki winced with a twinge of pain but then she brought up her hand and covered his with hers. Obi's eyes widened in surprise at her touch and she looked up at him and sighed.

"I know...I know you had to do it. You told me you would but I...I was just shocked."

Obi lowered himself to his knees in front of her now and Shirayuki brought his head to rest on her stomach. Her hand came up to rest on the back of his head and the other on his back.

"I'm so _sorry_ , Miss," he whispered with such pain and anguish and his arms began to wrap around her small frame. "God, I'm so sorry."

"I know...its okay, Obi, we can't help it now."

"But I grabbed your hair-"

"Shush I know. But its nothing compared to my cheek," she laughed awkwardly, trying to lighten the mood but it seemed to make Obi's body stiffen.

He pulled away and glared at her face. He got to his feet and sat next to her on the bed, their legs were touching and she noticed Obi's hand was clenched into a tight fist.

"I questioned the guard...I'm sorry, I know you told me not to," she said with regret.

Obi growled, rubbing a rough hand through his hair stressfully and shook his head. "No. Hiro has always been violent to the women here but that will come to an end soon."

Shirayuki sighed again and reached over to Obi's closed fist, putting it between her small hands. His fist slowly relaxed and she entwined his fingers with her own and looked up to him with a small smile.

He looked down at her, baffled at her touch and her comfort.

"Miss-"

" _Yuki_ , remember?"

"Yuki-"

"Don't worry about Hiro. You can't protect me all the time and I know now not to question so abruptly, like I did."

Obi turned away from her. "I can't promise anything, Miss."

Shirayuki pursed her lips and then they lapsed into silence for a minute.

"Obi," she began, wanting to ask about Yuzuri.

Now that her friend was here, things had changed. They _had_ to get her out.

If something happened to Yuzuri, she didn't know what she would do.

Suddenly he heard footsteps and his hand left hers quickly, his eyes alert, watching the door intently. When the footsteps became louder he realised they were coming to his room.

Without thinking, he quickly lifted Shirayuki over to the top of the bed so her head landed on the pillow, removed his shirt and moved quickly to hover over on top of her.

She was so surprised she didn't even protest. And then his hips were against hers, with his legs in between her own and even with the fabric in between them, Shirayuki could feel _everything._ He then grabbed her wrists and held them tightly above her head.

He mouthed 'trust me' as he looked down at her, his eyes showing apology.

"What-" she began, wanting to ask what he was about to do, but then the door burst open and he instantly put his mouth on top of hers so that the person who 'interrupted' them could see they were busy.

Obi looked up and glared angrily at the interloper.

"What?!" he growled to see Reno staring at them with amusement, a couple of guards behind him with smirks on their faces.

"Oh, my apologies. The lesson is going well then?"

Obi continued to glare. "It would be if I wasn't being interrupted," he snapped, letting go of Shirayuki's wrists and instead put his hands either side her torso, holding him above her still. "Did you want something, Brother?"

The man laughed. "Well, I guess it can wait. But you wanted to know when we got a lead on the rebels that are giving us some mischief."

This time Obi pursed his lips and began to remove himself from on top of Shirayuki. He noticed how shocked she looked and that her cheeks were very much a rosy color, but ignored that for now.

"Fine," snapped Obi as he got off the bed, picked up his shirt, throwing it over his head quickly and grabbed his equipment belt off the ground, but before he left, he turned to her with a commanding look.

"Wait here. We'll continue your lesson very soon," he said with a wink and then turned to walk out the door.

When they left, Shirayuki let out a breath she'd been holding.

God, his lips had been so soft. She'd felt them on her hand before and on her cheek once but never...

And even though he said that last line as a rouse for Reno, why did she actually _want_ him to continue?

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Shirayuki sat thinking about Yuzuri for a moment. She needed a plan to get her out, but what could she do?

First thing was first, she needed to find out where Yuzuri was being held.

Shirayuki decided this was her chance to have a little snoop around since she believed that most of the guards were with Reno and Obi in his office, talking about the rebels and probably some other tactical information to do with the Order. Although, she didn't know for sure.

In fact, it would probably be one of her only opportunities, except at night but she had a feeling that Obi would advise against it.

Shirayuki opened the door slowly, poking her head out into the hallway and when she noticed no one hanging around in the hallway, she crept out.

She really had to map these hallways in her mind because when she wanted to escape, she would have to know them like the back of her hand. Although, she didn't need to creep, if anyone questioned her, she would just say that her Master asked for her to get him something...and she would just make up that _something_ if the occasion called for it.

But for now, she needed to find Yuzuri.

She tried to remember the hallway she was in now which she believed was a left, right and right and now she was back to Riza's bedroom where she had stayed the first night.

Shirayuki sighed. Next time she needed parchment so she could physically map it down.

Her green eyes surveyed the dimly lit hallway, noticing a few doors along from Riza's. She heard voices from behind one door so she listened in.

She recognised Renka's voice and also the timid Hanni. So that was their room, right next to Riza's and she knew the one over was Atsuko and Kimi's.

But then, the third must be Yuzuri's.

Her feet softly padded down the hall toward the door and she stopped in front of it and looked sideways to the left and then to the right to make sure no one was coming and then held her ear to it.

She couldn't hear anything at first and then her eyes widened. There was a faint sound but couldn't tell if it was loud breathing or snoring.

Shirayuki stepped back a little, her eyes determined and went for the handle. It was locked.

"Damn it," she whispered as she frowned, thinking of what she could do.

She bent down and looked at the key hole to find it was a simple lock - one that she knew that Obi would easily be able to open.

Shirayuki thought she could see if it was Yuzuri's room by calling out for her from behind the door but then she looked at Renka's door and thought better of it since Renka was nearby and although she liked to think the best of people, there was something about that girl she didn't trust.

She turned and looked back to the lock and decided she needed some wire. But where could she get that?

Her eyes widened in realisation and she smiled. Of course, the room downstairs where the Herbalists were working would have something.

Shirayuki turned and headed down the hall and toward the dining area. No one would be there yet, hopefully, because it was in between lunch and dinner.

She padded across the hall, looking all around her to make sure she wasn't spotted. At least she was right - they were all in the meeting with Reno. Even the criminal lords, unless they were out hunting as she had overheard that it was one of the traditions for them to take part in at these summits.

Finally she reached the hall on the opposite side, avoiding the exit to where Reno's office was in case there were guards posted outside it. When she turned the corner, it started to look familiar and she made her way easily to the stairs before reaching the room where she had been working that morning.

And as she reached for the door, she heard voices behind it.

Well, that was her plan shot. Although, she _could_ walk in and say that her Master had given her free time and because Reno had ordered her to produce results, she decided to come down and work on the formula.

Shirayuki smiled and nodded to herself. She could do this.

She would do this for Yuzuri...she _had_ to.

Her small hand grasped the handle and pushed the door open. Their faces turned to look at her in surprise and she realised that the voices she had heard were the two girls from earlier who were working on the formula, as she was.

"We were-"

"I'm just-"

And then silence. Her orbs reflected confusion as did theirs.

"My Master gave me a free minute and so I thought I should come down and work on Reno's formula," said Shirayuki, surprisingly calm and spoken just how she had imagined in her head.

The girls nodded.

"You're the new Herbalist," said one girl.

Shirayuki looked them over properly now, noticing how thin they both looked. One was older, probably in her twenties and the other in her late teens if she had to guess.

Both had light brown hair and hazel eyes with similar features. They were sisters.

Shirayuki nodded after a short while. "How long have you been here?" she asked as her eyes began to gaze upon the room to find what she was looking for.

The eldest pursed her lips. "A year, give or take. But we shouldn't talk," she said shortly.

There had been a curious light in her eyes earlier but it was as if she remembered something and then that curiosity crawled inwardly back to a safe distance and then she grabbed her sister's hand.

Shirayuki nodded. "You're right," she whispered.

"Some day I want to escape," whispered the younger girl, her hazel orbs looking over at Shirayuki from across the room.

Shirayuki inhaled suddenly in surprise and then she smiled with sadness. "I suppose they all do-"

"No. You're _wrong_ ," snapped the older girl. "Not all the girls want to escape. You have to be careful who you trust here."

The girl's words made her thoughtful and her mind began to race as she thought of all the suspects. If she had to guess about someone who might be untrustworthy, though, it would be Renka.

Then again, she hadn't met _all_ the girls yet. There had been more down here when she had first arrived but for the life of her, she hadn't the faintest idea of where they could have gone.

"They're _gone_."

Shirayuki jerked her head up and looked at the girl. She walked closer to their station with disbelief. "W-what do you mean?"

"You were looking for the others, but, only the useful ones are left. Mika and I...my _sister_ ," began the older girl, pointing to the girl next to her and clarifying their relation. "Last year we discovered a flaw in their formula, which we corrected."

She understood now.

"They got rid of them...the others. By the end of the Summit, we will have reached our usefulness too."

Shirayuki gasped in shock, her eyes wide with incredulity. Was it true?

"I saw it," squeaked Mika, looking up at her sister, her eyes full of hysterical tears. "Brenna and I, we saw them loading bodies into a fire, across the creek and near the tree line."

Shirayuki was absolutely appalled but she didn't doubt them. Her jaw tightened and then she decided she _had_ to get the bits of wire she needed so she could get Yuzuri out of here before it was too late.

"The blonde one that came, they won't get rid of her yet. She's a botanist from Lyrias and is quite knowledgeable...its a pity she's just a means to an end, though."

" _Yuzuri_ ," bit out Shirayuki with gritted teeth.

The girls nodded. "They were going to get rid of her but then you showed up and then I overheard one of the guards saying that she'll be needed...something about red...red something, I don't know," whispered Brenna, shaking her head with anger in her eyes.

She knew what they were talking about. It had to be about her hair, if anything. Did they know that Yuzuri was her friend? And that question brought about more and more questions.

"No one will save us, will they?" sobbed Mika, clutching onto her older sister's arm like a lifeline.

Brenna shook her head as tears welled in her eyes too.

Shirayuki clenched her fists but couldn't help but feel emotional too.

"Look, don't lose hope, okay?" smiled Shirayuki, reaching across the table and placing a hand on Brenna's. "But you should go before the guards come back."

When she heard the door close, leaving her alone in the big room with the plants, herbs and chemicals, she looked up to the ceiling and clenched her eyes shut and a tear crawled down her cheek.

She _had_ to save them. But could she?

Zen Wistalia had sent her on this mission, not knowing how this would all turn out. No one had known who the figure heads of this organisation were and now...she knew so much.

By all rights she could leave now and would have fulfilled her mission, but seeing these girls... _Yuzuri_ , how could she leave now?

Her eyes spotted what she needed on the table. Some loose wire that had been used to keep a plant growing upright and so she snatched it quickly and made her way back to where she believed that Yuzuri was being held.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"His name is Mukaze," said the informant.

Obi watched the man. He didn't recognise him but apparently he had assimilated into the Mountain's Lions group without them knowing he worked for the Order.

But he wasn't part of _them_ either. He didn't look especially skilled because he was stout, ratty and looked like a two-faced little turd.

He was playing both sides, he had a bet on that (in his mind).

He wondered what Shirayuki would do if he told her that the Order were targeting her father's group. Most likely she would stay to try and fend them off somehow.

Could he let her do that? His job was to protect her, at all costs, even if that meant he had to betray her to do it.

Or was that just his way of rationalizing the fact that this was second nature to him...betrayal...always working on the side that benefited him the most.

So was he that different to this skittish little man?

When he'd arrived back with his 'family', he'd told himself that this was temporary and that being here wouldn't affect him because he had his Master, Zen Wistalia, and his Miss Shirayuki.

And already he was thinking of betrayal and where best to align himself to reach his goals.

But there was only _one_ side he was always on. And that's how he reasoned with himself about his decision _not_ to tell Shirayuki about this. At least, not for now.

The informant had been telling them all about the Mountain's Lions but he already knew most of it, in fact, he knew quite a lot more. He knew exactly where their main base of operation was (their home) and this man it seemed had not been there yet.

He knew some of Mukaze's key right hand men too and their names, but he would be keeping that information on lock down _._

 _Unfortunately,_ that meant that he would have to kill this man tonight.

A few hours had passed. They had been in deep discussions in Reno's office with his inner circle of soldiers, the informant and some of the criminal lord's whom Reno was in close business with.

The others were off on a hunting trip today.

So far, it was just brain storming on how to most efficiently get rid of the Mountain's Lions. Nothing concrete had been decided but apparently will be brought up tomorrow in the third day of the Summit.

Obi had acted bored the whole time, as he usually did (and always had), but was paying full attention without anyone knowing. He was always the best actor.

It had been the same at the castle too, for a while anyway, until he got to know the Prince of Clarines...until he came to know Miss Shirayuki.

He got up from his seat and began to walk to the door because he'd heard enough. They didn't know much at this stage and he hoped it stayed that way.

"Will I see you tonight, brother?"

Obi shrugged but didn't turn around and Reno pursed his lips, deep in thought before turning back to the men in the room to finish off their discussion.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Shirayuki fumbled with the lock. She had two bits of wire shoved into the hole. One holding the cogs in the lock in place while the other (which she had shaped with a hook at the end) was _not_ doing as she had been shown.

Obi always did it so quickly.

She huffed, stood upright for a moment and stretched her back out a bit. She had been at this for a little while now and it was really bugging her, not to mention the amount of time she had wasted.

Suddenly she heard footsteps and so quickly hid the wires she had fashioned behind her back and she began to walk back toward Obi's room. If she had to explain what she was doing standing there, well, she didn't actually know what she would say.

As she walked, her small feel padding across the floor quietly, she noticed someone walking toward her. She held her head down, not wanting to get in trouble for looking one of the men in the eye, and continued forward without acknowledging them.

"You," snapped a voice, grabbing her arm forcefully and she quickly put the wires into her other hand.

She recognised his touch...it was Hiro, but she was smarter this time, she didn't look him in the eye and didn't fight his physical abuse.

"Look at me, girl," he growled.

Shirayuki's heart was pounding and she did as he commanded and looked up at him.

"M-My master is waiting-"

"Your Master?" he said, exasperated and then his eyes noticed her choker. His body stiffened as he stared at it as if it offended him.

"Y-yes, my Master. I shouldn't be tardy, he wouldn't like it. And I think that your life will be in danger if you continue," she said, her words shaky at first, but then held more confidence at the end.

After all, it was true. She hadn't lied because Obi had said as much to her earlier.

She looked up at him through some stray red locks of hair that fell across her face with a stern look.

"And why would your Master give two shits about how I treat you?" he spat, his grip tightening as his face came closer to hers, with his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Shirayuki noticed the grey color of his retinas and how he had a scar over his left eye, going vertically from the top of his lid to an inch beneath the bottom, underneath the eye. He had short, sandy blonde hair which was messy and he stood a little shorter than Obi but was still tall enough to tower over her small frame.

"You know, that fancy little leash you have there won't save you," he said with a deep booming voice, bringing his other hand to grip her other arm.

He pushed forward, causing Shirayuki to back away.

"I've had blondes, brunettes, white haired girls, blue haired girls and black and even girls with violet hair...but never _red_ ," he whispered dangerously.

Shirayuki's eyes widened in horror of what that statement meant.

"I didn't like the way you spoke to me this morning and you know what? That bruise suits you."

It was becoming hard for her to bite her tongue because this man was a pig and god knows how many other women he had abused and if she had to guess, raped too.

"My M-Master-" she began with a quivering voice, flinching from his touch as he began to edge his face toward hers.

"Doesn't like you touching my property with your filthy hands, Hiro."

He turned and when he saw who stood there with a deadly expression, he instantly let go of Shirayuki, as if burned.

Hiro stared at Obi who stood a few meters away from him and slowly pulled out a kunai knife from a pouch that sat on his belt. He spun it expertly in his fingers until the hilt of it sat firmly in his grasp and held it by his side.

Shirayuki watched on and could see the expression on his face. Obi's eyes were dangerous and she felt that if Hiro moved in a way that Obi didn't like, he would pounce on him with deadly force.

She'd never seen this side of Obi. Those auburn orbs that held rage to the point of looking almost demonic right now, had always held softness with her.

But, she had heard that he didn't always look like that, from others; she never believed them.

 _"Itoya-san...I never thanked you for trying to bring me to my father. I never got the chance with all the commotion and then celebration," laughed Shirayuki._

 _Visiting her father was something she had toyed with, for years, since she had been captured by Umihebi and finally she now had the chance. She was **here**. _

_Itoya had met her by the gate to escort her and her friends up to the village center. She had travelled with Obi and Ryuu. Ryuu had been interested in seeing the healers here and they had asked for his expertise in some matters when she had written to her father, asking if she could visit. Apparently Ryuu had made a name for himself since their time in Lyrias and Shirayuki couldn't have been prouder at hearing this._

 _Kazuki, Obi and Ryuu were chatting, well, mainly just Obi and Kazuki making snide remarks to each other and Ryuu was rolling his eyes._

 _Itoya looked down at Shirayuki with a small smile and nodded. "I'm sorry...for what happened. Your guard was very," he began and cleared his throat. " **Displeased**."_

 _She raised an eyebrow and looked at him curiously. "Well, he was quite annoyed because of what happened but it was years ago now and all in the past, so don't worry. He doesn't hold grudges-"_

 _"I beg to differ. You didn't see him that day after he awoke to find you gone."_

 _Shirayuki shook her head. "He might seem rough around the edges when he fights but that's natural...people get angry in the heat of the moment-"_

 _"No, Shirayuki. I know the look he had and it was not a...normal expression, even for the heat of battle. I would be careful of him. He's okay now because you're safe but I would hate to know what he would become if you were gone."_

 _Her green orbs widened at his words and fell silent, clenching her hands together tightly at her front. Her sun dress blew in the wind and her longer hair flowed freely behind her as she looked up to the sky in deep thought._

 _Itoya watched her. "I'm sorry...I...I've ruined the mood," he said awkwardly as they neared the stairs to ascend to the village._

 _Shirayuki smiled and shook her head and was about to say that it was okay when suddenly Obi yelled out to her from behind them._

 _She turned and Obi grabbed her, lifting her off the ground. She gasped in shock but then saw that Kazuki had Ryuu in his arms beside him._

 _"Beat you to the top, old codger!" yelled Kazuki, speeding off while Ryuu protested, his cheeks red with embarrassment._

 _"In your dreams, kid," exclaimed Obi as he passed Kazuki with Shirayuki laughing; her arms around his neck._

 _Itoya watched on in disbelief. The man who held such hateful rage back then could hold such happiness in his eyes too.  
_

"She's just a server, Nanaki. Why would you even claim this girl when you've never done it in the past?" said Hiro with incredulity, his eyes burning with anger.

But beneath that facade, he knew what the man in front of him was capable of and his grey orbs observed him carefully.

Obi didn't answer straight away and looked down at Shirayuki who still had her back to the wall, watching him with what he could only describe as curiosity.

"Its not your concern, although, you should be concerned with how little your life means to me," said Obi coldly, his eyes narrowed slightly.

His back was straight, stiff and his stance reminded Shirayuki of a cat, ready to pounce.

"You can't _kill_ me. Even if you're family to Reno-"

Obi laughed but there was no humor behind it and then a smirk was fixed on his lips. Without a word he moved forward, quicker than Hiro could register and held the knife to his neck.

How had he gotten so close?

Shirayuki moved away as Obi backed Hiro to the wall, the knife still tight to his skin and he looked down at him with distaste.

He pressed the cold steel harder into Hiro's skin and the soldier hissed in pain as the sharp edge nicked it, breaking the skin but then he felt a hand on his elbow and he looked down.

"Please Master...he didn't _mean_ it," she said as she removed her hand from his arm and bowed her head, looking to the floor.

Her red hair fell in front of her eyes.

"Please _don't_."

Hiro's eyes widened at her gesture and her plea for his life and he snapped his gaze back to Obi who was staring down at her in disbelief.

He removed the knife and looked back at Reno's soldier.

"Touch her again...if you even _look_ at her in a way I don't like, you're _dead,_ " spat Obi, venomously as he put the kunai knife back into the pouch behind his back.

And then he looked down at Shirayuki.

"And you. Get back to my room _now_.


End file.
